


Hours 9 of 14

by EscapingStories (orphan_account)



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 04:47:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1885653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/EscapingStories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hours into their flight back from Japan Charlie finally asks Meryl questions that he's had for months now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hours 9 of 14

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Meryl and Charlies upcoming trip to Japan.

Long flights are the single worst thing about competing. Business seats help, and the fact that she's tiny. But by hour 9 she's beginning to think if she never had to fly to Asia again it wouldn't be the worst thing. Charlie is reading next to her. He's always been better at entertaining himself on these things. She usually sleeps. But she's had 9 hours of airplane sleep and her book doesn't sound appealing to her so she turns to her travel companion.

He looks over at her, setting his book down, "Hey sleepy."  

"Hey.” She yawns struggling to sit up a little, “What did I miss?"

He shrugs, "Couple of drink services. A forgettable dinner. Breakfast will be in a few hours"

"Oh good. I'm starving."

"There's nutrigrain bars in my bag."

She grins at him. Her best friend knows her so well, sitting up she snags his bag. And sure enough there's half a dozen strawberry nutrigrain bars in the the outside pocket. "Thanks, you want one?" She waves the red package at him.

"Nah. I got the dinner cart remember." So she shrugs, taking one for herself and then sliding the bag back under the seat in front of him.

Pulling open the packet, "How's wedding planning?"

"You probably have a better idea than me? I don't actually know what goes into this."

She laughs at him, curling back in her chair rearranging her blanket. "That's your way of saying Tanith's in charge."  

"Sort of,” he tells her with his trademark Charlie grin. “She was narrowing down venues and themes and whatever else there is and then were diving in when I get back. Trying to getting it all lined up pretty quickly."

"Seems reasonable. You're looking at next spring?"

"Yeah." He nods with a wistful smile.

"You’re a sap Charles White.” She needles him, but only because it’s good to see him so happy. “It'll be beautiful I'm sure. I have to stock up on waterproof mascara."

He grins at her for a moment, before his face becomes pretty serious as he sits up to looks at her, "There is one thing we settled on already though."

"Oh yeah?" She pops the last of the nutrigrain bar into her mouth.

"Yeah. Mer we can't have this wedding without you and we went back and forth on this a dozen times but... Meryl will you be my best man?"

She hits him, "You've had the entire trip to ask and you do it during hour 9 of 14 on the way home?"

He looks shocked, "Wait you've know the whole time?"

She can’t help the laughter that tinkles out of her, "Tanith's not the subtlest person when she's planning. She thinks I should wear a different dress than the bridesmaids.”

"I knew you knew more about this than I did." He grins at her, "So will you?"

"Of course I will Charlie. Nothing would make me happier than to stand by your side for the biggest moment in your life. You've been there for all of mine." She leans over and wraps her arms around him, "love you Chuck."

"Love you too."

They break apart settling back in the chairs, she tucks her feet under her. Charlie turns to her, "Now the only question is what do we do with Maks?

She can feel the look of confusion on her face, "What?"

"Well, where's he gonna sit?"

“Why is he invited?” She’s trying her hardest to give him the most incredulous look she’s got, and it’s failing pretty spectacularly at the moment.

“Mer?” he’s definitely not buying it, “I've known you too long for this what's the deal?”

“I ... We're...” she stutters, failing to get anywhere, so she drops her gaze the the blanket, picking at the little pills as she tries to get it together.

“You're...” he prompts with a little nudge to her arm.

She huffs deeply looking up at him, “We’re figuring it out.”

Satisfied he flops back into his seat, “That's what I thought.”

She shoves him a little bit out of frustration on her end, “Oh don't be so smug about it. There's barely even an it at the moment.”

“Meryl Elizabeth.” He snaps at her, “You are so stubborn sometimes you don't even know what's right in front of your nose.”

“Excuse me!”

Charlie leans forward again capturing her hand, “Mer you're completely in love with him. You have this smile when you’re with him that's, well I've only seen it one other time and it was when we finished our last skate in Sochi. And that one didn't come with the eye twinkle. And if you think he's not head over heels for you then I can't help you.

“Cha...”

He’s not about to let her say something to contradict him, “No. Mer don't kid yourself the way he looks at you it's how I feel when I look at Tanith. He’s completely in love with you, and I know that the media has been all over you guys, and it’s totally crazy, and no one famous should ever read the comments on social media, but that doesn’t stop it from being real.”

She boosts herself up a little bit on the chair trying to get on solid ground in this conversation. “I know he loves me.” She tells Charlie, because she really does know. The times he’s said it, the way he acts, the sheer fact that he makes time to talk to her on her schedule no matter what continent their on.

“And you love him,” he prompts, there is no way to escape this conversation at all.

So she nods, “He knows that too.”

He looks so exasperated with her, “So what's the deal?”

She glowers at him, “We’ve been together for a month non-stop in a foreign country and you wait until the flight home to ask all the questions.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t want you weaseling out of it. There’s no where to go Davis so you might as well tell me, what’s the deal?”

She sighs, “Nothing that's the deal, we haven't had time to figure anything out besides we want to figure it out that's all. A few weekends here and there but we haven’t really had time to just be together. So we’re figuring out how to make it work with both our schedules, because even though were not competing this year we have commitments and so does he but they’re all over the place, we’re not exactly in the same state.”

She takes a deep breath, she’s trying not to be mad at him for answer a question he should have never had to ask, “Which I would have told you five minutes ago before you delved into my love life rather explicitly for a public space.”

The bastard grins, relaxing in his seat. “Ok so he can sit with Sharna and Paul then.”

Flopping back in her seat she looks over at him. “You're the worst sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He looks over at her. “I just want you to be happy. And he makes you happy in a way no one has before.”

She doesn’t have a response to that so she just smiles gratefully at him.  She asks after a few minutes,  “Is Tanith gonna make us do a choreographed dance?

You can practically hear his eyes roll, “Well now that you've put that out there. Probably... Shit.”

She can’t help it, she laughs hysterically.

Charlie’s not about to let her go unpunished though in this conversation of hypotheticals, “Oh just you wait, when you get married... Val, Jenna, Tanith, they're gonna team up on you. I can see it now.”

She’s laughing shaking her head, “Now were trying to jinx ourselves apparently”

As the laughter dies she curls around and puts her head on his shoulder, “Frick.”

“What?”

“I have no idea what to do next,” she admits.

Charlie considers it for a minute, “Well getting on the ground is probably a good idea and then maybe calling him.”

She looks up at him in disbelief, “Thanks wise ass.”

“Go back to sleep. There's not a list in the world that's going to sort it out right now.”  

“That's cause you don't make lists,” she tries to argue, but fatigue is creeping back in.

He shrugs, jostling her head, “Never had too. You’re always making them.”

“Hey, they help.” But he’s right, she always made the lists.

“The definitely helped Tanith was very happy with the ring.”

She sits up suddenly, a look of panic in her eyes, “Oh lord I can't send you with Maks for jewelry.”

He’s trying not to laugh at her distress over it, “Yeah probably not a wise idea, but he designs jewelry right? You’ll be fine.”

She nods, taking a deep breath, “Getting ahead of myself.”

“When the time comes I'm sure he will know what to do.” He tells her as she settles her head back on his shoulder.

“Just remember size 4.”

“I can do that.” He promises her, even as he feels her slipping off again.

“I'm gonna sleep now.” She whispers against his shoulder.

“I'll wake you when we land.” He picks up his book again.

“Breakfast,” she tries to insist but it’s airy without any fight.

She’s being jostled, and Charlie is saying something to her, “...Sleepy head. The motor city is calling your name.”

She opens her eyes, blinking at the fluorescents that have come up now that they’ve landed.  “We’re on the ground?”

Charlie laughs and hauls her bag out of the overhead for her, “Not for long if we don't get off the plane.”

Huffing she gets herself together and follows Charlie through immigration and collecting their bags, going through the customs into the main terminal of the Detroit airport. She spots Tanith immediately but doesn't see her dad. He must be around here some where as he walks over to her friend. “So did he finally ask?” The bubbly blonde asks, pulling her in for a quick hug.

“Yeah like five hours ago.” She laughs stepping back so Charlie can greet his fiance.

Tanith giggles and happily accepts the kiss he gives her, “Welcome home guys.”

Looking around the terminal she tries to spot Paul, “Where's my dad he said he'd be here so you guys didn't have to detour.”

Tanith just smiles, leaning on Charlie, “Oh someone else volunteered to get you.”

“Hey babe.” Was practically growled in her ear as an arm wrapped round her waist. The other flourishing flowers in front of her.

“You're here!” It rushes out of her as she whirls around letting everything fall to the floor so she can wrap her arms around his neck.

“I'm here.” He smiles into her hair, lifting her off the ground.

“What are you doing here?”

“Picking you up from the airport.”

“But why are you in Detroit?”

Setting her down he brushes a quick kiss to her lips, “Because you're here Princess.” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

She rounds on Charlie, half livid, half eternally grateful. “You knew. You knew the whole time.” She’s shaking her head at him and Tanith, both of which have this grin of people that are feeling pretty happy with themselves.

Maks stretches a hand out. “Thanks Charles.”

“Well were gonna go.” Charlie picks up his own bag, “Talk to you guys later. Dinner the four of us while you’re in town ok?” he addresses Maks.

But then he pulls her in for a hug, whispering, “I think it's figured out. You just need to enjoy the ride.”

“Thank you.” It's all she can say as she gives him an extra squeeze before stepping back from one partner and into the other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading


End file.
